Will Falcons Head Coach Arthur Smith Save His Job On Sunday?
The Colts vs Falcons Odds Have Some Value On The Board!
The Atlanta Falcons will look to stay in the NFL Playoff race with a home game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Atlanta has lost two straight games, including an embarrassing loss to the Carolina Panthers, who have only had two wins throughout the season.
Meanwhile, the Colts are 8-6 and firmly in the playoff hunt after a 30-13 win over the Steelers. Indianapolis has won four of its last five games and has scored at least 27 points in three of its previous four games.
This is a classic game between one coach on the hot seat and another coach who is about to win the Coach of the Year.
Arthur Smith of the Falcons is the one on the hot seat. However, the Falcons are still favored over the Colts at home.
The Colts are sitting at +2.5 (-118) against the spread, with the total at 44.5. The Under for this game has been juiced to -115, and neither team has a moneyline probability under 50%.
Can the Falcons get over their brutal loss to the Panthers this weekend?
The Colts vs Falcons odds might have the wrong team favored. Let’s talk about it below.
Indianapolis Colts vs Atlanta Falcons 
Day/Time:
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Stream: FOX
Colts vs Falcons Odds & Trends
The Colts have been very good against the spread this season. Indianapolis has covered nine of 14 games, giving bettors profit against the spread this year.
The Over has also added a lot of profit in Colts games. The Colts have hit the Over in 10 of 14 games this year.
Oddly enough, the Colts are 4-2 on the road and have a better record while playing away from Lucas Oil Stadium. They’ll be on the road on Sunday against the Falcons.
Meanwhile, the Falcons are still 4-3 at home this year. However, they’ve covered in four of ten games this NFL season. The Under has also hit in nine of 14 games this year.
The Colts and Falcons will play for just the fifth time since 2007. The Colts have earned a win in three of four games. They’ve also covered in three of four NFL games, including the game in 2019 when the Colts added a 27-24 win as a one-point favorite.
Colts Suspended Two Players For The Rest Of The Season
On Tuesday, the Colts announced that WR Isaiah McKenzie and CB Tony Brown would be suspended for three games for conduct detrimental to the team.
They’ll be sidelined for the rest of the regular season. However, it’s unclear if they’ll be welcomed back if the Colts make the playoffs.
McKenzie and Brown were both healthy and inactive last week against the Steelers. However, McKenzie played in all 13 games before Saturday’s matchup against Pittsburgh, while Brown played in 12 games and earned 71% of snaps with the special teams unit this season.
A New Starting Quarterback In Atlanta
The Falcons have played musical chairs with the quarterback position all year long.
Desmond Ridder began the year as the starting quarterback. However, when he struggled, the Falcons gave the keys to Taylor Heinicke.
Eventually, Heinicke got hurt, and Ridder got to play quarterback again. Atlanta noted that Ridder developed during his time as a backup and made him the starter again.
But when Ridder didn’t develop as planned, the Falcons decided to flip back to Heinicke for the remainder of the season.
This isn’t just a one-game thing. Heinicke will be the quarterback for the remaining three games of the season.
Is Atlanta Overrated?
The Atlanta Falcons just lost to the Carolina Panthers last week. It was such an embarrassing loss after the Falcons only added seven points against a one-win Carolina team at the time.
Atlanta continues to find themselves in different weird spots. They’re either scoring a lot and giving up a lot or rarely scoring and playing good defense.
There’s simply no in-between.
The Falcons certainly have more potential with Taylor Heinicke at quarterback. He’s a veteran thrower who has already added 498 yards passing with three touchdowns and one interception in 2.5 games.
His completion percentage isn’t always high. But he can limit turnovers and better understand how to read defenses compared to Ridder.
Beyond that, Heinicke also has more of an ability to run with the football when needed. Ridder will get caught in the pocket a lot. While he didn’t take a sack against Carolina, Ridder also rushed five times for -2 yards. In the pouring rain, you need your quarterback to make some plays with his feet. But he didn’t.
Meanwhile, the Falcons have struggled with their rotations. Against Carolina, Bijan Robinson earned only seven carries for 11 yards. He fumbled the ball once and ultimately didn’t see the field often after. Although the passing game struggled in the pouring rain, that’s expected.
Still, Atlanta Falcons has so much talent and fails to use it consistently. That’s why Arthur Smith is on the hot seat in Atlanta.
Gardner Minshew took over for Anthony Richardson at quarterback earlier in the year. He’s since thrown for 2,739 yards with 14 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. His QBR ranks 14th in the NFL, and he didn’t even start the season.
Minshew isn’t always super accurate and doesn’t always make the best decisions. But he’s not afraid to make a play. That’s ultimately helped the Colts win games behind a defense that has played above average this season.
The Colts should be NFL favorites with these NFL betting odds. The NFL stats even suggest it. Therefore, after reviewing the Colts vs Falcons odds, we’ll back the Colts at +2.5. Indianapolis has been much more consistent this year.
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